Over the weekend, the U.S. killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of Al Qaeda and one of the world’s most wanted terrorists, in a drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan.
The death of al-Zawahiri comes after more than 20 years of a manhunt for the deputy of Osama bin Laden.
Drone Strike
“My fellow Americans, on Saturday, at my direction, the United States successfully concluded an airstrike in Kabul, Afghanistan, that killed the emir of al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri,” U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday in a national address.
After months of hunting and watching, the U.S. Intelligence Community was finally certain of the location of al-Zawahiri. The leader of al-Qaida had moved to downtown Kabul to be with members of his immediate family. Al-Zawahiri had most likely been hiding in the tribal areas of Pakistan.
The U.S. Intelligence Community tracked his movements and found that he had settled in an apartment building.
“After carefully considering the clear and convincing evidence of his location, I authorized a precision strike that would remove him from the battlefield once and for all,” Biden said.
“This mission was carefully planned and rigorously minimized the risk of harm to other civilians. And one week ago, after being advised that the conditions were optimal, I gave the final approval to go get him, and the mission was a success. None of his family members were hurt, and there were no civilian casualties,” Biden added.
A Terrorist
“You know, al-Zawahiri was bin Laden’s leader. He was with him all the — the whole time. He was his number-two man, his deputy at the time of the terrorist attack of 9/11. He was deeply involved in the planning of 9/11, one of the most responsible for the attacks that murdered 2,977 people on American soil,” Biden added.
Al-Zawahiri had a long history of attacks against Americans all over the world. In 2000, he was one of those who plotted the suicide bombing of the USS Cole, which killed 17 servicemembers, wounded dozens more, and almost sunk the ship. The deceased leader of al-Qaeda had also played a key role in the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, which killed 224 people and wounded more than 4,500.
“He carved a trail of murder and violence against American citizens, American service members, American diplomats, and American interests. And since the United States delivered justice to bin Laden 11 years ago, Zawahiri has been a leader of al Qaeda — the leader. From hiding, he coordinated al Qaeda’s branches and all around the world — including setting priorities, for providing operational guidance that called for and inspired attacks against U.S. targets. He made videos, including in recent weeks, calling for his followers to attack the United States and our allies,” Biden said.
“Now justice has been delivered, and this terrorist leader is no more,” Biden added.
1945’s New Defense and National Security Columnist, Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate. His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
